Pete Rea, author of ONE LIFE ONE SHOT! and a motivational speaker, gave a captivating presentation on how to strive for success in order to get more out of your life and business.

A working class guy who left school without any qualifications, Mr Rea, who started out as a carpet cleaner, took inspiration from one of his customers who was a multi-millionaire. Posing the question to his customer: “How can I become successful like you?, his client responded by saying: “If you want more, you have to work more.” This positive attitude inspired Mr Rea to become the most happiest and hardest working carpet cleaner he could ever be, as he told delegates: “Success doesn’t take a special person, it takes a special effort.”

To achieve his goal, Mr Rea distanced himself from people with negative attitudes, and became an asset to the company he was working for by significantly growing its customer base. “I used to exceed my customers’ expectations by going the extra mile and leaving them with a bottle of stain remover after I completed every job,” he told the audience.

With a desire to achieve bigger and better things, Mr Rea set up his own business at the age of 18, and became a millionaire at the age of 21. According to Mr Rea he was “living the dream as he lived in a big house, drove a sports car and owned a speed boat.” However, this success wasn’t to last, as he made some bad decisions, lost some of his major clients, and was eventually declared bankrupt at the age of 35.

Deep in debt, facing eviction from his council house, and having to buy his children’s Christmas presents from local car boot sales, Mr Rea was desperate to change his family’s circumstances. So, swallowing his pride, he asked a friend if he could barrow £150 to set up a new business. Applying his knowledge, wisdom and work ethic, Mr Rea’s business, which has grown from strength to strength ever since, is now a multi-million pound organisation. “My little business that was created on the back of desperation and fear has now grown to £10m,” he said. “It doesn’t take a special person to achieve success, it just takes a bit of special effort.”

In conclusion to his presentation, Mr Rea told the audience there are three key areas that will help you create momentum and focus. They are:

Passion – It’s vital that you have passion because if you don’t get excited, then nothing will happen. Passion is your fuel and your driving force. It’s the strength of your passion that creates the quality of your focus.

Purpose – Passion is the fuel but it needs a vehicle. Purpose is the vehicle, as without a vehicle, fuel is irrelevant. The key to creating momentum in your business is to have a strong sense of purpose. You will never hit a target if you can’t see it.

People – There is no success without a successor. It's up to you to create the next generation in your business and to spur on your workforce. You need to motivate people to achieve success in a company. You need an environment that is good for growth in order to bring out the best in your workforce.